Lighter burner



Oct. 17, 1933. p w srog 1,931,462

LIGHTER BURNER Filed Jan. 30. 1931 an i Patented Oct. 17, 1933'- UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHTER BURNER Application January 30, 1931, SerialNo. 512,439 and in Germany February 5, 1930 4 Claims. (01. 158-4171) Thepresent invention relates to lighter or pilot burners of the type whichare provided with a lighter or pilot valve, adapted to bethermostatically operated and which closes automatically when theignition flame is extinguished, in order to prevent unconsumed gas fromescaping. To be satisfactory, such a lighter burner must be easilyoperated so that it can be opened even by a small source of heat, forexample, by the flame of a match, and keep the valve open immediatelyafter the small lighter flame has been ignited.

For this purpose and according to the present invention, the thermostatoperating the lighter valve is constructed as a diaphragm disc which isprovided with an opening forming the burner nozzle.

Safety gas burners having a disc-like thermostat are already known, butin these known devices, the thin diaphragm carries a burner tube so thatthe heat conveyed to the thermostat disc is dissipated by the mass ofthe burner tube and of the valve body to such an extent that the briefheating action of a match is not sufficient to operate the thermostat.

In a lighter burner the diaphragm of which is simply perforatedaccording to the invention in order to form the burner nozzle, there isno passage of heat to other parts, so that the slight heating by a matchis sufficient to open the valve and to ignite the lighter flame. Thevalve body is preferably separate from the thermostat disc and issecured to a spring which tends to keep the valve open.

Two forms of construction of the invention are shown by way of examplein the accompanying drawing in which:--

Figure 1 is a section on the line '1-1 of Fig.

2, showing a lighter burner having a valve body.

riveted to the thermostat disc.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 4 of a lighter burnerhaving a valve body separate from the thermostat disc.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the lighter valve according to Fig. 3 withthe thermostat disc removed.

In the form of the inventions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the casing a of alighter burner has a thread b for the connection of a fuel pipe (notshown). The casing is bored through in the longitudinal direction toform a channel 0 adapted to be closed at the top-by a valve 11. A headis formed on the casing and is covered by a thermostat disc e to form aspace (i. The ther mostat disc e is secured to the edge of the head bymeans of a screw cap f and in addition is provided in the centre with anopening 9. The plate valve 1' has arms 72. which are riveted orotherwise secured to the disc e so that when the thermostat disc becomescold, the valve plate 2' closes the channel 0 opening into the valvespace d.

When the thermostat disc is heated for example by the flame of a match,it bends upwards and thereby lifts from its seat the valve plate 2'which is secured to it. The gas issuing from the fuel pipe and throughthe channel c flows round the plate valve, then through the spacesbetween the arms h and through the opening g whereon it is ignited bythe flame of said match. The heat radiated fromv the ignition flame issufficient to keep the thermostat disc bent outwardly after the matchhas been removed. When the lighter flame is extinguished the thermostatdisc cools and presses the plate valve i on its seat on the channel 0,so that no more gas can escape therefrom.

So as not to bore through the thermostat disc e for holding the platevalve thereto and in order to reduce the escape of heat, the plate valvecan be separate from it, and be suspended from a spring 7c, preferablyof plate or disc form, which is secured at its peripheral edge to theupper surface of the rim or edge of the casing a simi larly to thethermostat disc by the cap or nut as shown in the form of constructionillustrated in Figs. 3 and l. In this case, a spring disc which isslotted in known manner for the purpose of parallel guiding (Fig. 4) isused; and this spring disc'is provided with supports it which are cutout of the centre part of the disc and bent round or doubled so as tobear against the thermostat disc 6 in such a way that the otherwise flatspring disc is bowed inwardly through its central portion in spacedrelation with the thermostatic diaphragm, and a packing disc i glued onto the spring disc is pressed against the mouth of the channel a whenthe thermostat disc is cold. The spring disc k therefore has a certaintension so, that the packing disc 2" which constitutes the valve canalso participate in the movement of the thermostat diaphragm c. The gasissuing from the channel 0 passes through the slots of the spring disc'is and through the spaces between the lugs n to the opening 9 in thethermostat disc e which forms the burner nozzle.

The thermostatic diaphragm may consist of a single metal disc or may bea bi-rnetal disc. Preferably, however, a single metal is used, for

example, rust-proof steel, which has been found to be extremelysatisfactory in use. While a bimetallic disc may be used withapproximately the same effect for the thermostatic diaphragm, such adiaphragm has the disadvantage of losing its bi-metallic properties ofexpansion and contraction in course of time.

What is claimed is:

1. A pilot burner foruse with gas jets, comprising a burner casing, avalve seat forming an inlet to said burner casing, a thermostaticdiaphragm forming a cover for said burner casing, and a valvecooperating with said valve seat and operable thermostatically by saiddiaphragm to open said valve when said diaphragm is heated, saiddiaphragm being provided with an opening forming the burner nozzle.

2. A pilot gas burner comprising a casing, a thermostatic diaphragmenclosing one end of said casing and provided with an opening formingthe burner nozzle, anda valve controlling the flow of gas through saidcasing, said valve being controlled by said diaphragm but spacedtherefrom by means having low heat-transmitting capacity.

,3. A pilot gas burner comprising a casing, a thermostatic diaphragmenclosing one end of said casing and provided with an opening formingthe burner nozzle, a valve controlling the flow of gas through saidcasing, said valve being controlled by said diaphragm, and an open-workstructural connection between said valve and said diaphragm.

4. A pilot gas burner comprising a casing, a thermostatic diaphragmconnected to said casing and provided with an opening which forms theburner opening for the escape of gas which is burned in direct contactwith the diaphragm, and a valve controlling the flow of gas through saidopening, said valve being controlled by said diaphragm.

FRIEDRICH WILI-IELM STOCKMEYER.

